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Rogers takes $100 off for BlackBerry 7, PlayBook combo

updated 04:25 pm EDT, Thu August 25, 2011

by MacNN Staff

Phones 1/2 price with PlayBook purchase

Rogers is giving RIM a lift on Thursday by offering its customers $100 off its new BlackBerry Bold 9900 or Torch 9810 if they buy either in conjunction with a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The deal requires a new three-year contract and is valid only through the end of September.

Rogers began shipping the Bold 9900 earlier this month. The phone offers RIM's traditional hardware QWERTY keyboard alongside a 2.8-inch, 640x480 touchscreen. The processor is a 1.2GHz Snapdragon. It was the first smartphone to officially ship with the BlackBerry 7 OS.

The slider Torch hit the Canadian market a few days after the Bold. It is equipped with a 3.25-inch 640x480 touchscreen, a 1.2GHz processor, and 720p video recording. As with the Bold, it runs BlackBerry 7 OS.

Rogers currently sells both smartphones for $199. The combo price would bring the effective cost down to $99 each. The carrier is selling the PlayBook for $500.

No reason was given for the deal, but it may be to spur slow sales of the PlayBook or an indication of relatively timid uptake of the BlackBerry 7 designs. The former is more likely given the newness, wider appeal, and lower price of the smartphones. [viaMobile Syrup]

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